“Ma's detailed pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations, painted in soft, clear hues, are attractive and help to balance the rather small, dense typeface.”
From School Library Journal

“…Ma's (illustrator of The Painted Fan and Red Means Good Fortune) elegant, subtly-toned watercolor and pencil full-bleed art gives the book a classic, timeless look.
From Publishers Weekly

“…Watercolor illustrations, authentic in detail and dramatic in gesture and expression, satisfactorily mix Chinese evocation with Western representation, adding character and color to a rather improbable plot.
From School Library Journal

“…A Chinese artist now living in the U.S. , Wenhai Ma offers in his first picture book a series of sensitive pencil sketches tinted with delicate watercolor washes.”
From Booklist

“…The Chinese-born illustrator, now a professor at Duke University , makes a fine picture-book debut with dramatically posed scenes of realistically depicted figures in impressionistic settings that effectively enhance the mood.”
From Kirkus Reviews

“ … Ma's detailed pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations, painted in soft, clear hues, are attractive and help to balance the rather small, dense typeface…”
From School Library Journal

“Anyway, three years ago I sat in on a Duke class taught by Wenhai Ma, a stage set designer. His whole philosophy was that everything can be reinterpreted, even Brecht and Shakespeare, and I decided that if learning could be like that, I wanted to go back.” Andrew Preiss, Artist/sculptor
From The Arts, The Herald-Sun, Durham , NC

“…Ma's blend of talent is perfect for such an unusual book. An assistant professor in the Duke University Program, he teaches set design, costume design and sometimes Chinese art. He marries all of these gifts in his illustrations… Ma's rare mix of talents is shown by the way he merges illustrative tradition to depict the Land of the Seven Caves…Ma's illustration certainly enlighten the nontraditional story line of The Painted Fan . Like Ogburn, he's created a new world shaped by a strong, original character…”
From The Independent Weekly